The creativity of musicians is enhanced through new musical instruments. Low-cost mass-market computing has brought an explosion of new musical creativity through electronic and computerized instruments. The human-computer interface with such instruments is key. The widely accepted Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) standard provides a common way for various electronic instruments to be controlled by a variety of human interfaces.
MIDI is a standard protocol that allows electronic musical instruments, computers and other electronic devices to communicate and synchronize with each other. MIDI does not transmit an audio signal. Instead it sends event messages about pitch and intensity, control signals for parameters such as volume, vibrato and panning, and clock signals in order to set a tempo. MIDI is an electronic protocol that has been recognized as a standard in the music industry since the 1980s.
All MIDI compatible controllers, musical instruments and MIDI compatible software follow the standard MIDI specification and interpret any MIDI message in the same way. If a note is played on a MIDI controller, it will sound the right pitch on any MIDI-capable instrument.